Automatic Driving Lessons

Automatic Car Driving Lessons

GPS Driving School specialises in providing high quality, automatic driving lessons to a wide range of students in Brisbane. Whether you are just beginning, very nervous or anxious, mature age or a more experienced driver aiming to pass your practical driving test, we can help.

During your driving lessons, you will experience patient and friendly instruction in a modern, dual controlled automatic vehicle. Our excellence in teaching program is designed to help you learn, ‘’everything you need to know’’ about learning to drive an automatic car. We deliver a structured, fact based, skills led approach in your automatic driving lessons including: defensive driving, road rules, manoeuvres and the specific information you need to prepare for your automatic driving test.

Cost effective driving lessons

Our lesson prices are very competitive and enhanced with your GPS automatic car instructor providing real discounts and actual savings on lessons. Automatic car lessons with GPS Driving School are designed to help you learn more efficiently enabling you to you reduce your overall training costs. View pricing

Automatic car lessons

Your Master Driver Trainer at GPS is a specialist automatic car instructor. Over the recent years, more and more students, P platers and Open license holders are choosing to buy and drive automatic cars. As a result, automatics have been growing in popularity when compared to their manual alternative, offering distinct advantages over manuals.

…you learn as much as possible about the correct way to control your vehicle

Whilst learning to drive an automatic isn’t as difficult as learning to drive a manual, it still offers plenty of challenges requiring, finesse, accurate pedal decisions as well as the complete set of defensive driving skills necessary to operate all vehicles on-road.

Selecting automatic car driving lessons with GPS means you learn as much as possible about the correct way to control your vehicle, focusing on defensive driving and the correct application of the road rules to become a much safer, smoother, responsive driver.

The most common reasons why students are choosing automatic car lessons?

Easier to use

It is widely accepted that driving automatic cars, especially for beginners, is much easier than driving a manual car. Although there’s nothing inherently difficult about changing gears, automatic driving means choosing a vehicle that is much simpler to operate.

Learner drivers take significantly less time to learn how to operate an automatic car

Better control of the steering wheel

Most new learners are taught the safest way to drive is to keep both hands firmly on the wheel at all times, where possible. This is more achievable when driving an automatic vehicle where the wheel is not shared with the gear stick and handbrake used regularly in a manual.

Less driver distractions

Easier to take off on steep hills

Mastering take-offs on steep hills in a manual can be challenging, especially if vehicles are parked close behind. Your automatic car lessons will teach you how to take care of this issue, enabling you to operate your pedals and handbrake correctly, to avoid any chance of a dangerous roll back, no matter how steep the hill might be!

Students in automatic cars master the handbrake hill start in 2 mins. Manual students take many more hours of practise.

Greatly reduced risk of stalling

There are few things more embarrassing and awkward than stalling your vehicle when the traffic light changes to green or when taking off quickly at a busy multi-lane roundabout, especially with vehicles behind you. This isn’t a problem for people driving automatic vehicles.

Automatic cars give the driver absolute confidence and control, first time, every time!

Easier to drive in busy traffic

Overall, more effort goes into starting, accelerating, decelerating, and stopping manual cars. In heavy traffic where a manual car isn’t able to get up to speed, the constant starting and stopping becomes a very monotonous and painful activity. This is especially felt on the right leg, as drivers are literally depressing the clutch dozens of times in quick succession.

Driving an automatic car means moving easily through heavy traffic by gently pushing and releasing the accelerator or brake pedal when needed.

The following information is a small summary of the type of information you can expect in your lessons with GPS. This includes:

Accelerator and Brake Pedals

In an automatic car, there are only two pedals. The pedal on the right is the accelerator and the wider pedal on the left is the brake. These are very pressure sensitive controls so we encourage students in their first automatic car driving lesson, to start slowly and get a real feel for the pedals. Consider the corresponding power, stopping or slowing capabilities of the pedals on the vehicle you are driving.

To get started, press on the pedals softly with your right foot to get an idea on how they feel. All cars can feel a little different, but familiarising yourself with the correct pedal pressures is easy and it won’t be long before you are up and running.

Gear stick

In an automatic car, the gear shifter is located on the floor between the seats or on the steering column. Either way, you will likely see several letters and numbers running down the side of the shifter. For example –

P – PARK – If the car is turned off, this is where the shifter should be with the handbrake on.R – REVERSEN – NEUTRALD – DRIVE2 – LOWER GEAR1 – LOWER GEAR

Depending on the car, you may see (+ and -) symbols meaning semi-automatic or tiptronic, allowing drivers to manually shift up and down gears without the need for a clutch. For example, when learning to drive an automatic car you may need to select a lower gear to help slow your vehicle, especially if braking for long periods of time down steep roads.

Starting the Car

In your lessons, you will learn to push down on the brake pedal with your right foot whilst the car is in PARK and then turn the key to start the car.

Driving Forward

Your GPS automatic car instructor will explain that in order to start the car for the first time you must have your foot pressed down on the brake. This is a built-in safety mechanism, designed to ensure the driver has taken control of the vehicle, prior to putting it into gear. This is to prevent unplanned take offs. You will be unable to select drive gear unless your right foot is firmly placed on the brake.

With your right foot on the brake, gently move the car’s gear stick down to select (D) DRIVE. Once your car is in DRIVE, check for any engine warning lights on the instrument panel. If all clear, go ahead and release the handbrake and gently release the footbrake brake.

Your car will automatically shift through the gears as you increase your speed

You will feel the car start to move, even if you don’t have your foot on the accelerator. This is because the car is in gear and is already idling at approx. 700-1000rpm. Go ahead and press down slowly on the accelerator to speed up. Your car will automatically shift through the gears as you increase your speed.

In automatic driving lessons, learners should get used to using their right foot for both the brake and the accelerator whilst pivoting on the heel to transfer between pedals. Whilst there are advantages and specific situations where using two feet pedalling is beneficial, for the purposes of your Q-Safe driving test, you must use your right foot only.

Slowing Down and Stopping

When you need to slow or stop your vehicle, firstly lift off the accelerator (deceleration) and then press gently down on the brake with the right foot. Even though the car is in gear, you will have no trouble slowing it down. Getting used to judging when to lift off your brake and commence decelerating as well as how much pressure to apply with on the brake comes with practise.

For example when using your brake, you want to apply enough pressure to slow the car down in time to stop where you need to, but you want to avoid slamming on the brakes unless you’re in a serious situation and need to stop suddenly.

Reversing the Car

To drive in reverse, simply bring the car to a complete stop. With your foot still on the brake, shift the car into R for reverse. Then lift your foot off the brake and the car will travel backwards. Driving lessons in an automatic will teach you to reverse on a flat road, uphill as well as downhill.

Parking the Car

To park your car, bring it to a complete stop by placing your foot on the brake. Then shift the gear stick into P for park. Set your handbrake and then release your foot off the brake and turn off the car. You’re done!

Automatic driving lessons teach:

Correct Brake and Accelerator pedal pressures

Smooth braking

Correct pedal decisions – ensuring you have the correct foot over the correct pedal to match the contours of the road ahead. This means, foot over accelerator uphill and foot over brake downhill.

Eco- Driving- getting the most out of deceleration and vehicle momentum.

Driving Tips

How you drive and care for your automatic vehicle can affect the life of your automatic transmission. In your automatic car driving lesson you will hear many key points and tips including:

Accelerate slowly, then increase acceleration and speed so that the transmission has a chance to shift under less “strain”. With your car rolling it is much better for your gearbox rather than constantly pushing the accelerator hard to the floor.

Avoid idling in one place. If you’re stuck in heavy traffic, for extended periods of time, switch the gear stick into (N) for neutral and keep your foot on the brake or set your handbrake.

Learning to drive an automatic is easy, relaxing and enjoyable once you get used to it. Your automatic driving lessons with GPS mean we will give you plenty of clear instruction, practise time and feedback to improve your confidence and ability.

If you are looking for an automatic driving school that specialises in automatic driving lessons, please call the Principal Master Driver Trainer at GPS on 0430 284 285. We are only too happy to answer any questions you may have…

Give yourself plenty of time to practice. You’ll be up and running in no time!

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